Students among The Today Show crowd
The Media Living Learning Center students visited New York City on a networking and experience trip over the Martin Luther King Jr. Day weekend, Jan. 15-18. During the trip, they met with alumni and toured the offices of New York’s famous media sites.
By Naomi Reibold
We were sleep deprived from the bumpy, awkward sleep we got on the bus Friday night and the brief few hours we got Saturday night. Our feet ached from our ambitious goals to see as much of New York as possible the day before. And we got up at 6:45 in the morning to be on television.
When we reached the 30 Rock Plaza (the place where fans stand outside to cheer on The Today Show) smiling workers greeted us and gave us instructions to sign in. Then the line started moving. We received a Today Show button, were invited to make posters and had our bags searched. By around 7:30 we were in.
At this point, our 15 minutes of fame felt tangible, so naturally we were excited. And so, apparently, was the wind. Many posters lost their owners in the hour we were there and the temperature seemed to have lost 10 degrees, too. That was ok, though, because being cold was nothing compared to a chance to be on television.
We watched the anchors deliver the news on televisions located in the square, even though the actual anchors were just inside the building and to our right. When the camera started to glow red in front of us, we screamed and waved as it passed by. Of the various signs we held, one read, “IU Media School loves New York!” while yet another read, “Hi grandma! I’m on TV.” Sadly, we seemed to be outshined by the birthdays of a 6-year-old, a 16-year-old and a 60-year-old as well as an ever-beloved and shameless promposal over national television. “High schoolers,” I thought with an eye roll as I shook my head. Oh and let’s not forget the man dressed as Sherlock Holmes wishing him a happy 172 birthday.
With all that to say, four of the anchors came out to deliver a few headlines and share the weather. They were kind to say hi and take a few selfies with fans between and after their announcements. They, however, quickly decided the wind was too excited and ran back inside for warmth. I didn’t blame them. We took it as our cue to leave, hoping our smiling, frozen faces reached the TVs of our loved ones watching.
Sadly, they did not. But that’s OK; our television debut is still out there for us…somewhere…hopefully.
Read more student reports from the Media LLC’s experiences in New York.